Not a single animated series or collection of characters has stood the test of time like the Looney Tunes have, I'll venture to say not even Mickey Mouse and his gang over at Disney. The the gags are just as funny now than they were half-a-century ago. The intelligent, witty humor, often subtly oriented towards adults, generates laughs at a rapid clip, with a cast of individual characters so distinct and original that it's never easy to choose a favorite.

Probably about 50-percent of my childhood viewing material consisted of the feature-length Looney Tunes movies that aired on cable TV seemingly every day. Two of the most memorable of these were 1979's The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Movie and 1982's Bugs Bunny's Third Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales. It was always difficult, as a child, to differentiate between these movies since they are both "greatest hits" collections of sorts. Now, thanks to Warner Home Video's new two-DVD set, Looney Tunes Movie Collection, generations of fans can enjoy these films in their entirety, and realize that they are, indeed, two separate entities.

Disc 1 houses The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Movie, and some of the absolute best moments in animated history are featured here. Does it really get any better than watching Daffy Duck in a Robin Hood outfit, singing about "tripping it up and down," and then, of course, tripping his way down a steep hill? Or, revisiting that classic short that has Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd waxing operatic, and, dare I say, romantic, in the incomparable, What's Opera, Doc? I don't know about you, but I had no clue just how enjoyable classical music was until the first time I saw this slice of animated magic.

There are some funny clips featuring Pepe LePew, Marvin the Martian, Wile E. Coyote, the Road Runner, and Porky Pig, although this is clearly Bugs and Daffy's show. Each of these clips is "introduced" by a wrap-around story that features Bugs at his posh mansion, reflecting on his life and the history of chases in movies. He touches on the various people who have drawn him through the years, but this main story doesn't exactly get very deep or involving, as Bugs is basically around to talk about something involving each of the segments before we actually see them.

Bugs Bunny's Thirdrd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales is similar in style, but has more of a wrap-around story than the film on Disc 1. This one centers on Yosemite Sam's son, Prince Abadaba, a nebbishe bookworm who is nothing like his father, but is unbearably demanding. It just so happens that Bugs and Daffy are now book salesmen, and our carrot-loving friend has stumbled upon Sam's extravagant Arabian palace. Sam isn't interested in buying a book, though, as he is looking to hire someone (read: hold against their will) to read stories to his spoiled son.

While this central story is better, the individual animated shorts aren't as memorable. This isn't to say that they aren't great and this isn't worth seeing, because there really aren't many bad Looney Tunes cartoons period, and there are a few here that stand out. Aside from the classic singing frog piece ("Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gal..."), we get a great Speedy Gonzales short, and Bugs caught in the middle of a Hansel and Gretel-like story. There are some Sylvester and Tweety antics, and even the great, highly underappreciated Hassan, who chases Bugs and Daffy around threatening them with a "Hassan chop!"

My only complaint about the Looney Tunes Movie Collection is the exclusion of 1981's The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie, the best of these feature films. When I heard the announcement of this release, I couldn't wait to see the sketch that has Yosemite Sam chasing Bugs Bunny through a castle, constantly falling down massive flights of stairs. That sketch, among many other hilarious others are featured in that film, which I guess we'll have to hope will be included in future .

Rating for Style: ARating for Substance: A

Image Transfer

One

Aspect Ratio

1.33:1 - Full Frame

Original Aspect Ratio

yes

Anamorphic

no

Image Transfer Review: Both films appear in their original full-frame aspect ratios. It doesn't look like these have been cleaned up much, but the colors are nice and bright, staying vibrant at all times, which is somewhat remarkable for nearly 30-year-old films.

Image Transfer Grade: B

Audio Transfer

Language

Remote Access

Mono

English, French, Spanish

yes

Audio Transfer Review: Both films come to us sonically in their original mono presentations. There's nothing at all spectacular about the audio, but there aren't any problems, and nothing ever sounds crowded, including the dialogue.

Extras Review: There are a couple of extras between the two discs, including the eight-minute piece (found on Disc 1) called Young Hollywood: Take on the Looney Tunes. This is a collection of interviews with today's young stars, during which they talk about their love for these characters.

Disc 2 has Two Brothers Draw a Looney Tune, a nearly 10-minute segment in which beginning comic book artists Trevor and Bryce are taught by Warner animators how to draw cartoons. There is some very interesting insight here into exactly what goes into creating these hilarious shorts. Disc 2 also has a collection of trailers for other Warner DVD releases.

Extras Grade: C

Final Comments

Even though there aren't a ton of extras, just having a couple of these feature films in a nice DVD collection is a welcome thing. The audio and video slightly improve upon these films' original presentations, but purists will be happy that there hasn't been too much done to take away from the original look and feel.